Device for holding catheters in position



Em, E WW R. A. PETERSEN DEVICE FOR HOLDING CATHETERS IN POSITION FiledFeb. 6, 1967 INVENTOR. ov PETERSEN ATTORNEY United States Patent U.S.Cl. 128349 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for retaining acatheter in position in which the catheter is frictionally gripped by atapered axial hole in a bell-shaped elastic body. The elastic body has anarrow neck for forming a thin-walled sleeve about the catheter, and acavity is formed in the hole inwardly of the sleeve. Any tendency of thecatheter to move outward causes th sleeve to stretch and resist thismovement and any tendency of the catheter to move inward causes thesleeve to buckle into the cavity and resist this movement. The device isattached to the skin at the flat bottom surface of the elastic bodywhich is provided with grooves for draining liquid discharges from theskin.

The present invention relates to a simple and reliable device forholding a catheter in position.

When a catheter is placed into the urinary bladder, gall bladder,peritoneal cavity, bowel, chest, renal pelvis, or other body cavity, itis important that it remains in place without migrating either moredeeply into the cavity or out of the cavity. At present, catheters arefastened in position either by suturing the catheter to the skin or byheavy application of adhesive tape. The sutures have a tendency to cutthrough the skin or other structures to which they are anchored, therebylosing hold of the catheter. Adhesive tape applied to a catheter becomeswet as a result of the discharge of body fluids onto the catheter, andthus also loses hold.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by the provision ofan elastic catheter retaining device which effectively restrainsmovement of the catheter, and which may be reliably taped in place atthe surface of the skin.

The various features and advantages of the present invention will becomemore apparent upon a consideration of the following descriptions takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a catheter holding device embodyingthe present invention, which is shown holding a catheter in place at thesurface of the skin;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the axis of the catheterholding device of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the catheter holding device of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the axis of the catheterholding device of FIGURE 1, showing the resistance of said device toWithdrawal of the catheter; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the axis of the catheterholding device of FIGURE 1, showing the resistance of said device toinsertion of the catheter.

The catheter holding device 9 of the present invention shown in thedrawing comprises a bell-shaped elastic body 10 which may, for example,be molded from an elastomer, such as rubber or plastic, having elasticproperties. The elastic body 10 has an axial opening or passageway 11into which a catheter 12 extending through an opening 14 in the patientsskin 15 (shown in phantom) to a desired location for the drainage tip 13in a body cavity of the patient. The catheter retaining device 9 isattached to the skin 15 by means of a double-faced adhesive disc 16between the skin and the outer edge of a flat anchor plate 17 which isformed at the bottom of the bell-shaped body 10'. The adhesive disc 16may be further afiixed to the skin by strips of adhesive tape appliedover the upper surface thereof and extending to the skin, or by suitableattached straps which encircle the body of the patient.

The opening 11 comprises a tapered conical hole 20 which opens into awedge-shaped cavity 21 and then narrows down into a straight cylindricalhole 22. The junction of the hole 22 with the top of rounded surface 30forms a radially-extending shoulder 31 at the projected apex of theconical opening. The upper portion of the body 1 0 is necked down at thecylindrical hole 22 to form a thin, uniform thickness, gripping sleeve33 above the shoulder 31. The top of the flexible body 10 is thickenedto form a rolled end 34.

As seen in FIGURE 3, the underside of the anchor plate 17 has radialgrooves 40 formed therein, with a hole 41 through the plate at the endof each groove. Any serum, blood or other liquid discharged through theskin Opening 14 will drain through the grooves 40 and holes 41 at thetop of the plate 17 to thereby keep the adhesive disc 16 dry and firmlyattached to both the locking piece 10 and the skin 15.

The conical hole 20 is tapered so that: the walls of the hole and theshoulder 31 engage the inserted catheter 12 with sufiicient friction,when dry, to prevent slippage of the catheter. However, the taper of theconical hole 20 is not suflicient, in itself, to prevent slippage whenthe catheter 12 is wet, as otherwise it would be exceedingly difiicultto make the initial insertion of the catheter 12 into the body 10. Therolled end 34 of piece 10 also provides friction engagement with theinserted catheter 12.

In use, the holding device 9 restrains the catheter 12 against undesireddisplacement by elastic deformation as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. If thecatheter 12 tends to pull out of the body of a patient, the tubularelastic gripping sleeve 33 will stretch as shown in FIGURE 4, it beingnoted that thick rolled ends 34 and the thick shoulder 31 grip thecatheter more tightly than the thin sleeve 33. As the elastic body 10progressively stretches in length, it becomes progressively smaller indiameter and thus puts additional gripping friction on the catheter 12;and eventually the entire body 10 will stretch and the conical opening20 will narrow and grip the catheter 12. If the catheter 12 tends topush further into the body of a patient, the catheter carries thefriction-engaged rolled edge 34 along with it, thereby buckling thethin-walled sleeve 33 and bunching it inside the wedge-shaped cavity 21as shown in FIGURE 5. As the sleeve 33 is carried progressively furtherinto the cavity 21 it is progressively compressed against the catheter12 to provide enhanced gripping friction. Thus, when the catheter 12tends to move in either direction, the holding device 9 imposesadditional gripping friction to halt the movement and maintain thecatheter in its desired position inside the body of the patient.

The initial insertion of the holding device 9 onto the catheter 12 ismade after the catheter is in the desired location inside the body of apatient. To accomplish this, finger pressure is used to counter thelocking deformations described with reference to FIGURES 4 and 5. Inparticular, the outer end of the catheter 12 is advanced through theanchor plate 17 and the rolled edge 34 is pushed down towards the sleeve33 to enable this end of the catheter 12 to move up through the opening11 so that the anchor plate .17 may be placed against the skin 15. Oncethe plate 17 is in place, the catheter 12 may be inserted more deeply bypulling the rolled edge away from the cavity 21 as the catheter 12 ispushed inward, or the catheter 12 may be withdrawn by pushing the rollededge 34 down toward the cavity 21 as the catheter 12 is pulled outward.

In a typical embodiment designed for use with a 5 mm. diameter cathetertube .12, the hole 20, after an initial flare 50 (FIGURE 2), tapers indiameter from 5 mm. to 3 mm. over a distance of 12 mm.; the cavity 21increases in diameter from 3 mm. to 6 mm. over a distance of 3 mm. andthen decreases to a diameter of 2.5 mm. over a distance of 1 mm.; andthe hole 22 continues at a diameter of 2.5 mm. and runs for a distanceof 1 mm. through the shoulder 31, and then for an additional distance of5 mm. through the sleeve 33, which is 0.5 mm. thick and 3 mm. long, androlled end 34, which is 2.5 mm. thick and 2 mm. long.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for holding a catheter in place comprising: an elasticthin-walled sleeve adapted to have a catheter inserted therethrough andinto a body cavity of a patient; a first thick elastic member at theoutward end of said sleeve for gripping said catheter by friction; asecond thick elastic member at the inward end of said sleeve forgripping said catheter by friction, any tendency of said catheter to bewithdrawn from said body cavity of a patient causing said thin-walledsleeve to stretch and frictionally engage said catheter to halt saidwithdrawal; means associated with said second thick elastic member forforming a cavity surrounding said catheter inwardly of said sleeve, anytendency of said catheter to become further inserted into the bodycavity of a patient causing said thin-walled sleeve to buckle and beinserted into said cavity to frictionally engage said catheter and haltsaid insertion, and an elastic body with a passageway therethrough, saidpassageway having said cavity formed therein, a portion of said bodybeing narrowed down around said passageway to form said thin-walledsleeve with said thick elastic members at each end thereof.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said passageway is formed toprovide a hole which tapers down from the inward end of said passagewayto the inward end of said cavity for frictionally engaging saidcatheter.

3; A device according to claim 2 wherein a fiat surface is formed at theinward end of said elastic piece, said flat surface being adapted to befixed to the skin of a patient around that point at which said catheterenters the body of the patient.

4. A device according to claim 3 including passageways formed in saidflat surface for draining fluid which discharges at the point at whichsaid catheter enters the body of the patient.

5. A device for restraining the movement of a catheter comprising a bodyof soft elastomer material with a central passageway therein adapted forreceiving the catheter, a portion of the wall of the pasageway beingadapted to grip the catheter, and an anchor member on said body in fixedrelation therewith, said anchor member being formed with an openingaxially aligned with said passageway and adapted for receiving thecatheter therethrough, said passageway being axially disposed relativeto said body and being formed with a tapering wall for gripping thecatheter inserted in said passageway, said tapered wall constrictingsaid passageway in response to axial elongation of said body forgripping engagement with the catheter, said passageway also being formedwith Walls defining a wedged-shaped cavity means disposed adjacent thetapering wall for gripping the catheter inserted in said passageway,said wedged-shaped cavity means constricting said passageway in responseto axial compression of said body for gripping engagement with thecatheter.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said passageway is formed witha gripping sleeve disposed adjacent said wedged-shaped cavity means,said gripping sleeve being formed with a wall surrounding saidpassageway for gripping the catheter, said wall of said gripping sleeveconstricting said passageway in response to axial elongation of saidbody for gripping engagement with the catheter, said wall of saidgripping sleeve being insertable in the opening defined by saidwedged-shaped cavity means for constricting said passageway in responseto axial compression of said body for gripping engagement with thecatheter.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 and comprising a toroidal end wall forsaid body disposed adjacent said sleeve, said toroidal end wall beingadapted to receive the catheter in gripping relation therewith, saidtoroidal end wall being arranged to urge said gripping sleeve into theopening defined by said wedged-shaped cavity means for constricting saidpassageway in response to axial compression of said body for grippingengagement with the catheter.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said body has a conicalconfiguration with the apex thereof disposed adjacent said grippingsleeve.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said anchor member is formedwith drainage openings spaced from said central passageway.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,598,283 8/1926 Kinney 128-3501,696,763 12/1928 Hare 128-349 2,898,917 8/1959 Wallace 128-3503,253,594 5/1966 Matthews et al. 128348 3,402,710 9/1968 Paleschuck l281FOREIGN PATENTS 1,184,139 2/1959 France.

375,579 6/1932 Great Britain.

653,436 5/1936 Germany.

DALTON L. TRULUCK, Primary Examiner

